


1186, Great Tree Moon 16: Memorial

by KelikZenair



Series: Three Houses Works [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelikZenair/pseuds/KelikZenair
Summary: Five months ago, Claude left Fodlan to unify Almyra, planning to return as soon as he could. Before he left, he and Byleth were wed, and they shared one last night of passion. Now, Byleth, expecting their first child, wanders the Holy Tomb, meditating on her new position as Queen and Archbishop of Fodlan.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Three Houses Works [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762996
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1186, Great Tree Moon 16: Memorial

Byleth stood in the Holy Tomb, gazing out amongst the caskets. Within each casket rested a Divine Relic- all that remains of the children of the goddess. Ever since hearing Rhea's story, Byleth and her allies could no longer stomach wielding the Relics, and instead finally put them to rest.

The only one still in use was Byleth's own Sword of the Creator. Given that she was the reincarnation of Sothis, she felt as though it were a part of her, she did not see it as a grotesquely desecrated corpse, she saw it as an extension of herself.

As she stood in the Tomb, Byleth contemplated that perhaps when she died, she would be laid to rest in this tomb alongside the Sword of the Creator. Her two bodies laid to rest together. With the Crest Stone of Flames nestled beneath her breast, no one would ever be able to lift the Sword of the Creator again.

Not even her own children, she thought, as she placed a hand on her swollen middle.

Next month, her child, fathered by Claude, would arrive. Her husband was still away on his journey to unite Almyra and only Byleth's innermost circle knew that her child was soon to be born. She refused to allow the possibility of the news reaching him. If he found out, he would return, and Byleth knew that it would be better for everyone if he finished his work in Almyra before returning home to her. 

Leaving one hand on her belly, she placed the other on the coffin nearest to her- one that contained none other than the previous archbishop, Rhea. Laid to rest amongst her siblings at the foot of her mother's throne.

Byleth's feelings towards Rhea were complicated. Although she had no doubts that Rhea believed herself to be just and righteous, and that she brought purpose and guidance to countless lives, Byleth also knew that her father had feared Rhea Byleth herself had questioned Rhea's true nature, her motives, and the foundation of the relationship between them countless times. She could never tell if Rhea saw her as her child or her mother. Perhaps in some strange way that only made sense in Rhea's ancient, esoteric mind, she saw her as some strange fusion of the two.

Regardless, Byleth was left wondering what Rhea would think of her child if she was alive to see them brought into the world. Despite everything, she knew that Rhea would have been overjoyed to see the child grow, and that thought brought comfort to Byleth. She recognized the calming, guiding presence that Rhea had, and the power she had to rally people around her. At times like these, when Byleth tasked with uniting a war-torn continent, renovating the Monastery, and leading the Knights of Seiros against remnants of her enemies from the past war, all while cradling a new life within herself, she yearned for a calm, supportive presence. She remembered when she awakened her true power and fell asleep at Claude’s feet. He had taken her back to the monastery, and when she finally awakened, Rhea had been waiting there, comforting her.

That feeling, that Rhea would do everything in her power to unconditionally comfort and support Byleth...

Even if she didn't know that Rhea was truly as kind as that, Byleth wished for such a feeling again. The only other person with such a calming, comforting presence for her was Claude, but even the support of a lover cannot reach some of the heights that the blind, faithful love of someone like Rhea can. Or rather, could. Such an otherworldly presence seemed to cling to the earth after death. Byleth still felt that comfort even though she was sitting beside her coffin.

Byleth contemplated her place in the world. Deep in thought, she grinded away dust that her fingers had picked up from the casket, wiping what remained on the hem of her dress.

She was the Queen of Fòdlan and the vessel of the Goddess. Both titles weighed heavily upon her, and she lamented that she did not have someone to lean on. Her circle of friends may have spread to nearly every corner of Fòdlan, but Byleth was not one to allow people to see her so vulnerable. In truth, the only person she could trust enough to lean on was still on the other side of Fòdlan's Throat.

And so, Byleth steeled herself. As much as her heart ached for support and for love, she knew that as the queen, the archbishop, and the vessel of the Goddess, she could not allow herself to falter; Especially when she was soon to be a mother. No, she had to push all of her stress and anxiety aside. Only when her job was done, when Fòdlan was united, would she allow herself to feel the pain and heartache she was holding back Fòdlan was still scarred and torn, and as desperately as Byleth wanted to rest, her country needed her now more than ever.

Byleth rose from her position beside the casket, and took one more look at it, wordlessly thanking the former archbishop for everything she had done. She promised Rhea that she would succeed where the other had failed Byleth would not allow Fòdlan to end up this broken and wounded again. She would mend Fòdlan with her own hands, and bring about a sunrise on a new and brighter world.


End file.
